The venture – dubbed ‘Project Kangaroo’ – will see the three broadcasters launch a single platform where people can acc­ess more than 10,000 hours of content. The service will initially be launched online but will later hit other distribution platforms such as Freeview.

Earlier this year, it emerged that Freesat, the planned free satellite TV joint venture bet­ween the BBC and ITV, is seeking an agency (PRWeek, 19 October). Freesat is expected to announce the appointment imminently.

A spokesman for ITV said: ‘We are not as far down the road as we are with Freesat. At the moment was have no commitment to a date for the launch, but there will be an in house PR res­ource and an external resource. We are still working out all of the details.’

The spokesman added that the process of seeking a PR agency will begin in February 2008.